Mechanism for automatically flushing water tanks



1935- w. w. WILLiAMS ET AL MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATICALLY FLUSHING WATER TANKS Original Filed Feb. 15, 1955 INVENTOR. WHL TER 14 W/LL /,4Me GLEN/VF. ZELLHOEFER A TTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATICALLY FLUSHING WATER TANKS Original application February 15, 1933, Serial No.

656,818. Divided and this application December 28, 1933, Serial No. 704,271

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in mechanism for automatically flushing water tanks and is a division of these joint inventors joint co -pending application Serial No. 656,818, filed February 15, 1938, now Patent No. 1,950,346, issued March 6, 1934.

As disclosed in the said co-pending application, this improved mechanism is advantageously employed to automatically flush the water-containing compartment or tank of an air conditioning and cooling device. It is an object of this invention to provide a mechanism of this type to automatically flush the tank or compartment when the level of the Water therein reaches a predetermined high level, and while most advantageously employed for purpose described in the said co-pending application, it may be employed for any other purpose where it is desired to automatically change the Water in the tank or to automatically flush the tank to remove accumulations in the water contained therein.

With these and other objects in View, reference is made to. the accompanying sheet of drawings which illustrates a preferred form of this invention with the understanding that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the scope thereof.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a view in central vertical section through the bottom of a tank to which this invention has been applied, with parts thereof broken away and other parts illustrated in front elevation, showing in full lines the positions assumed by the operating parts when the water is at its normal level, and in dotted lines the positions of said parts when the water has reached the predetermined high level and automatically opened the flushing valve.

Figure 2 is a similar view illustrating in full lines the positions assumed by the parts when the flushing valve has been opened and the water is descending below its normal level, and in dotted lines the positions assumed by the parts when the flushing valve has been closed.

In the embodiment of this invention illustrated, the bottom closure I of the water tank 2 is preferably depressed at the center of one side thereof, cut out, and a plate closure 3 secured to the underside thereof, which plate is perforated for the entrance of a valve casing 4 secured to the underside of the plate 3 and providing a valve seat on the upperside of said plate. The lower end of the valve casing is connected to a discharge pipe, not shown, leading to the sewer. A reciprocating valve 5 having a depending guide -5 The valve 5 is operated to open and close by the rise and fall of a float l in the water tank mounted to.- slide upon a vertical guide 8 pivotally mounted at each end to the respective ends of two parallel arms 9 and I 0 pivoted to a ver- 10 tical supporting member ll mounted upon the upperside of the plate 3. Adjustable stops I2 are mounted upon the guide rod 8 to limit the movement of the float 7 thereover. The upper pivoted arm 9 mounts an adjustable counter- Weight I3 on the side of its pivot opposite the float to regulate the sensitiveness of the operation of the float. The lower pivoted arm l0 passes between the arms 5 of a U-shaped bracket carried on the uppers'ide of the valve 5 and is connected thereto by pin it having a lost motion connection so that as the arm l0 rotates about its pivot, the valve 5 is raised or lowered over its seat. The arm to is extended to the left of its pivot upon the support I l and its vertical edge is provided with two indentations adapted to be engaged by the spring pressed pawl I5 carriedon the lever 16 pivoted at the lower end to the bracket ll extending from the support ll. These indentations are so spaced apart that they will be engaged and hold the arm I0 against movement when the valve is seated and when the valve is open to its fullest extent. Figure 1 illustrates in full lines the position of the float about to contact the upper stop I2 after the lever iii has been depressed to close the valve 5 and its lower notch engaged with the spring pressed pawl 15, maintaining the valve in closed position. Upon addition of water to the tank from any source, the water level therein will rise thereby causing the float l to engage the upper stop and rotate the lever IE] about its pivot lifting the arm 5 off its seat and causing the upper notch of the lever to be engaged by the spring pressed pawl 15, as shown in dotted lines in Figure l, whereupon the water will be discharged through the open valve and flush the bottom of the tank as it passes therethrough on its way to the sewer. As the water level decreases, the float will descend upon its guide 8 until it engages the bottom stop l2 thereon. Thereafter, as the water level lowers, the weight of the float will rotate the lever It] to snap it out of engagement with the pawl I5 until the valve is closed. and the pawl engages its lower notch in the same manner as shown in full lines in Figure 1. The position of the float at the time the valve is closed is shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. 7

To provide for immediately replenishing some of the water used in flushing the bottom of the tank, a water supply pipe i8 is mounted upon the closure plate 3 to pass therethrough and be connected to a water supply. -The other end is connected to a valve casing l9 preferably mounted upon the support I! which mounts a valve seat 26 and a float-operated reciprocating valve 2| in the manner shown in detail in Figure 1. As long as the water level is above the operating level of the float 22, the water supply valve will remain closed and during the flushing of the tank when the water level recedes below the float, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, the Water supply valve will be open and remain open until the tank is V suificien'tly filled to raise float 23 and close the valve stem 2|.

What I claim is:

An automaticself-fiushing tank valve mechanism for water tanks having a float operated supply valve, including a normally closed tank valve in the bottom of the tank, a support upon the tank bottom adjacent said valve, an arm pivoted upon said support and extending over said valve, a connection between the valve and arm, an additional arm similar to the first arm pivoted thereabove to said support, a vertical float guide pivotally connected to thefree ends of said arms, a float mounted to travel over said guide. adjustable stops upon the guide to be engaged by said pivot adapted at predetermined high and low levels of the water in the tank to rotate the first arm to open and close the tank valve, detachable means in engagement with said arm to normally maintain the tank valve in its closed and open position during the intermediate travel of the float including a continuation of said arm on the other side of its pivot having spaced-apart notches and a spring-pressed pawl mounted upon said support adapted to engage in one of said notches at the ends of travel of said arm until the float overcomes the tension of the pawl in imparting a movement in the opposite direction.

WALTER W. WILLIAMS. GLENN F. ZELLHOEFER. 

